Freckles
The Bruery

Blac color. Medium-sized, beige head. Bourbon, chocolate, cinnamon, peppers, and vanilla in the aroma. The same flows into taste. Moderately sweet, with roasted bitterness and light heat from pepper at the end.

A: Poured into a snifter to a black beer which is topped by a dense and slightly fluffy two fingers of light tan head which fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of Mexican hot chocolate with notes of chocolate, cinnamon and vanilla plus some hints of bourbon barrels
T: Tastes of chocolate, light cinnamon, oak, vanilla, some chili pepper heat, and a little bit of roasted malts. On the finish there's some lingering chili pepper heat, chocolate, vanilla, oak, roasted malts and a little coffee.
M: This beer has a moderate amount of heft on the body with a slightly creamy feel. Carbonation is on the lighter side of things but it is adequate for the style. This beer is on the drying side due to the abv and peppery heat.
O: Overall this is an excellent beer. I loved the first iteration of Freckle and this one is just as good or better than I remember. Mexican hot chocolate in a stout just fires on all cylinders for me.

Review: 2065
Beer Name: Freckles
Brewery: The Bruery
Location: Placentia, CA
Style: Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout A
BV: 11.1%
Date: 12/11/2020
I poured the Freckles into a Tulip glass at 50 degrees. The pour produced a frothy, airy, dark tan, two-fingered head with below-average retention. The beer is dark brown, almost black, and has an opacity of 36 on the color chart. There was no lacing on the glass after the head dissipated. Some effervescent bubbles can be seen at the top of the glass. The beer's appearance is average for this style.
When I sniffed the glass, I detected bourbon, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee aromas. Upon sniffing again, I could also smell notes of char, wood, molasses, cinnamon, toffee, dark roasted malts, a hint of smoke, and leather. The bourbon barrel aroma is intense and masks some of the other scents. The beer has a sweet smell of dark brown sugar and caramel throughout.
The flavors were a surprise to me. The dominant flavors were chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, leather, and coffee; the beer was dry instead of sweet. The cayenne provided an unexpected twist, and the heat from the chili builds up and shows itself after you swallow the beer. The heat from the cayenne, along with the warming alcohol, coats my throat. I tasted vanilla, leather, earthy, slightly floral, a bit of dustiness, molasses, caramel, toffee, raisins, and a hint of char.
The beer's mouthfeel is chewy and slightly tannic, and it finishes dry. The beer has a full body and low carbonation.
Overall, this beer was an unexpected delight. I enjoy a great Mexican-inspired stout, and this one is the best I've had so far. The heat is perfect, giving the beer a mole-like flavor. All the flavors combine to create a unique blend of ingredients that work seamlessly together.

750 ml bottle into a snifter. Bottled 12/11/20, had 6/18/23.

Pours an opaque dark brown, with a two inch head of creamy foam with good retention and some foamy lacing. Aromas of chocolate, cinnamon, malt, cocoa as it warms, some cayenne and vanilla, faint bourbon. Flavors of cocoa, cinnamon, chocolate, malt, some bourbon and vanilla, light heat. Smooth, fairly creamy, a very good fuller body, well carbonated.

Sneaky good. All the add- ins have a presence, and the cayenne and cinnamon show well, but aren’t over the top. Smooth and silky. The barrel presence could be a little stronger, but overall this is a solid effort.

Bottle pour - dark as night with thick chocolate milk head leaving scattered lacing and bubbles. Nose is Mexican hot chocolate with cinnamon and chile pepper. Taste follows but steps it down a notch, notes of vanilla and barrel wood are evident. Body is fairly thin with chile pepper and cinnamon lingering on the finish.

 

 

750 ml bottle, 2021 edition, looks like the bottle date is 12/11/20. Served in a snifter, the beer pours dark brown/black with about a couple inch tan head that stuck around for a while. Decent amount of lacing. I like the aroma, the brew smells like vanilla, cinnamon, cayenne, cacao nibs and burnt/charred malt. For the most part I think the taste is similar to the aroma, but there's also some light oak and bourbon flavors noticeable too. The cinnamon and cacao stand out to me, and the cayenne heat kicks in a little more as the beer warms but it's not as spicy as I'd like it to be. Mouthfeel/body is medium/full, it's slick and a bit creamy with a moderate amount of carbonation. I thought this was a good overall imperial stout, worth picking up if you get the chance!

Pours a glossy black color with tan head. Smell is cinnamon and cocoa. The taste starts with vanilla, cacao nibs, and cinnamon, then ends with a spicy cayenne. The cayenne is definitely noticeable, but it isn’t too overly spicy. Alcohol is well-masked, and the oak barrel is present but subdued compared to many bourbon barrel aged stouts, probably because of the cayenne. Personally I don’t like the vanilla and oak combo, or at least I find the front end bland, whilst the back end is all chili heat and cinnamon and a bit overwhelming. There is a hint of sweetness, and the cocao nibs are there, but somehow the sum is less than the parts. Still, all that said it isn’t bad, just not great.